Monterrei (DO)
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Monterrei (DO) is located in the souththeast of the province of Ourense (Spanish: Orense; Galician: Ourense) (Galicia, Spain). It covers the municipalities of Verín, Monterrei, Oimbra and Castrelo do Val.
The name derives from “monte del rei” which menas “mountain of the king”. The castle built on top of the mountain in question still stands today and looks over the vineyards.
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[edit] History
It is believed that it was the ancient Romans who first introduced grape growing and wine making in this region. The wines from Monterrei were renowned during the Middle Ages. As Federico Justo Méndez stated in his book Brotes de Raíces Históricas: “The wines from the Monterrei valley, due to their excellent quality, were on a par with the wines from Porto, and for a time were sold all over [Latin] America”.
Exports increased during the reign of Philip II, especially as the 5th Count of Monterrei was nominated viceroy to the new Spanish colonies in the New World. It was around this time that the city of Monterrey in Mexico was founded.
In modern times, most of the wine produces is still sold in bulk, but pioneering wineries have started to bottle and market their own brands.
DO status was originally acquired in the 1960s but was suspended. It was not until the 1990s that it was recovered.
[edit] Geography
The vines grow on the sides of the valleys around the river Támega. The main town is Verín which is 15 km from the Portuguese frontier. The vineyards are at an altitude that varies between 400 and 450 m above sea level.
There are two different sub-zones: Val de Monterrei and Ladeira de Monterrei. The vines cover an area of about 30 km².
[edit] Soils
The fertile, clayey soils, humid climate, high vine density and the yield of the local grape varieties means that wine production is high.
[edit] Climate
Monterrei is the warmest and driest area in Galicia, sharing some climatic characteristics with the Spanish central plain. The Sierra de Larouca range protects the area from the wet winds from the north. summers are long and sometimes dry. Temperatures can fall below 0 °C in winter. Average annual rainfall is about 700 mm and the influence of the Atlantic produces cold autumns.
[edit] Grapes
In Monterrei DO there is a mixture of local and regional grape varieties. White varieities are dominant, especially Doña Blanca, Treixadura, Verdello and Godello. Of the small proportion of red grapes, the most common is Arauxa (the local name for Tempranillo), Mencía and Bastardo.
As most vineyards have been planted recently, they are on trellises (en espaldera) so as to maximise their exposure to the sun.
